Unranked, unrated new buzzwords as Tech lands trio

For the first time in over three months, Coach Paul Johnson has obtained a commitment from a prospect of any note.

Three-star offensive lineman Errin Joe out of Lakeland, FL pledged for Tech on Sunday, toting behind a respectable list of offers which included Miami(FL) and West Virginia. Tech was reportedly Joe's second choice, but the committable offer from his first pick, FSU, was not forthcoming.

Much like with the Simple Option offense however, there's always a little bit of bad sprinkled in with the good.

Prior to this weekend, many Tech fans had visions of top in-state studs like big Monroe HS DE Stephon Tuitt, who was making an official visit, and Tucker LB James Vaughters, who may soon be decommitting from Stanford, dancing in their heads. What they got instead were two very different names: Demontevious Smith and Corey Dennis.

Who?

Smith, arguably the "lesser" of the tandem from Monroe, is a high school QB rated as 2-stars(5.4) by Rivals and who was so lightly regarded as to be completely unranked and unrated by Scout. It is believed that he will be used as a defensive back in college, making him only the latest high school quarterback Tech has recruited specifically to play a different position-- this since Johnson is seemingly unable to compete for players skilled in those positions to begin with.

Always looking for a way to spin the situation however, CPJ Kool-Aid slurpers have clutched to the surprising offer Smith received from BCS bowl punching bag Virginia Tech as evidence of his worth. Of course the bulk of Smith's offer sheet tells a more modest and realistic story, with the involvement of teams such as Air Force, Navy, Buffalo, the Sun Belt's ULM, and FCS schools Illinois St, Harvard, and Georgia Southern. In wrenching Smith away from the Hokies, Coach Johnson apparently filled his head with visions of surpassing Neon Deion himself in playing cornerback, quarterback, A-back, and wide receiver at the same time. But surely Johnson would never lie to a recruit, would he?

Some have also argued that the pursuit of the lowly-regarded Smith might be a ploy to sway his teammate Tuitt, which is the type of strategem many Tech fans have long deplored as unethical and an "SEC practice." It will be interesting to see the reaction in the unlikely case that Tuitt "suddenly" commits to Tech. My guess is there won't be a cascade of threads and posts devoted to calling out Coach Johnson on his lack of ethics.

The third commit of the day, Troy, AL's Corey Dennis, is readily admitted by the Georgia Tech Rivals site as being a "sleeper athlete," and even the toadies have foraged scant material for sugarcoating. Another high school QB who will likely man a different position at Tech, Dennis was unranked and unrated by either major service and otherwise recruited only by his local Sun Belt affiliate Troy and fellow mid-major UAB. He is arguably the biggest reach yet in an class flush with "under the radar" prospects.

The worst of it is that, due to attrition, Tech appears hell-bent on signing 25 players this year! This trio puts them at 21, and makes you wonder what manner of FCS underbrush Coach Johnson will be unearthing in the coming weeks.